Train fares "priciest in Europe"

Britain's rail fares are the most expensive in Europe and for £10 we can only travel half the distance than we could six years ago, new research has found.

For £10 Brits can travel for 27 miles compared to our Latvian counterparts who can travel for 383 miles, according to research released by the Liberal Democrats.

Germany follows in the expensive stakes, followed by the Republic of Ireland which can travel 11 more miles than Britain on their £10.

Norman Baker, the Liberal Democrat transport spokesman, said: "Our rail fares are the most expensive in Europe and have continued to rise in real terms, while the cost of motoring is falling."

He went on to say that the fare rises are "pricing travellers off the railway".

The news comes as Network Rail admitted that it had been "over ambitious" to think that it could finish the engineering work over Christmas.

Around 150,000 passengers were left stranded in the new year when engineering work overran and Liverpool Street station in London was closed for four extra days.

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